List of British organisations who have participated in workfare programmes


This article lists British companies and charitable organisations that have participated in the British government's workfare programmes whereby individuals must work in return for unemployment benefits. Note that several companies, charities, public sector and third sector organisations have pulled out of workfare schemes as a result of negative publicity and as such inclusion on this list does not mean that a company currently uses workfare. Those involved in a specific version of workfare where this is known, have it listed after their names, while those known to have withdrawn altogether as of May 2019, are denoted by Withdrawn.

Freedom of Information challenge

Attempts to get the names of companies and charities who have participated in workfare have been the subject of a lengthy legal battle.
In May 2013 the DWP lost a first tier tribunal case where it was ruled that the names of those who have participated in Mandatory Work Activity schemes should be released.
The fourth and final Appeal lodged by the DWP was thrown out in July 2016 and the lists of 'placement providers' for the now defunct scheme Mandatory Work Activity revealed the names of 534 organisations.

Boycott Workfare list

The anti-workfare organisation Boycott Workfare has compiled its own list of organisations that are known to have participated in DWP workfare schemes. 'Defunct' denotes that a company has been liquidated and no longer exists having gone bankrupt and been dissolved, this includes 'social enterprises' which are still commercial money-making enterprises.